Fire Damage
by PerpleTheZombie
Summary: The demon once known as Sebastian recounts the completion of his contract with the Earl Ciel Phantomhive, regrets weighing heavily on his mind even as Sebastian and Ciel are burned. One-shot. Sebastian POV, minor violence, no pairings


Looking back on it, I suppose the stormy gray sky and battering rain were appropriate for the situation as I stood in the corner, watching my little lord tremble and shake, covered in mud and tears and blood. His tiny quivering hands gripped his pistol like his life depended on it, and I couldn't deny I was jealous of the gun, because it was doing _my_ job. Nonetheless, I did as I was told, hidden and unseen in the shadowing corners of the warehouse. I'm sure I was perfectly camouflaged, seeing as everything was black and gray save for the splatters of red left by the broken bodies of those who had murdered Ciel's family.

The blood ran along the floors grotesquely, mixing with the rainwater that dripped in through the caved roof of the warehouse. Though it dulled the color it allowed it to run through the rivulets and grooves on the cobblestones. It gave the illusion on looking down on a miniscule landscape with rivers running crimson.

Ciel raised the gun, nerves and fear apparent in the way the gun shook in his grasp. The last living man in the room sat on the floor among the bodies of the others. Though I could smell his fear it was invisible behind the mask he wore.

"You're the one who had control of this affair, correct?" Despite his physical condition his voice was as strong as ever, and I emitted a feral growl at the sound of it, smirking as I crouched in the corner. In just a few moments I could have my meal, and I would be gone from this wretched world for at least a few centuries.

The man's mouth flapped like a fish's as he tried to form a reply. "I-I-I…I am," he stuttered. "Y-You… the Ph-Phantomhive boy… who has killed my followers… o-one… one-by-one…"

Though he had his back to me I knew the corner of Ciel's mouth twitched, whether to smile triumphantly or scowl with disgust was anyone's guess.

"I am."

Head whipping around, as if in search of something, the man said, "Where… Where's that butler of yours? I… I've heard ab-b-bout him… the nasty bloke – murderer, he is!"

Ciel snarled, looking down at the man superiorly. His shaking had lessened and he lowered the gun, even if just a centimeter or two. "As if you're one to talk."

Straightening up, I took a dainty step forward into the man's vision. The sound of my shoe on the cobblestones echoed through the warehouse, and he winced.

"My lord," I said, taking another slow step. "You've done well until this point, but would you like me to take care of this one? I wouldn't want you to tire yourself out, after all."

Ciel turned to look at me, his single blue eye bloodshot. He looked terrible, blood and grime and tears caked on his pale face. I leaned forward to wipe away some of the muck, leaving a blackish-brown stain on my glove. Not that it mattered – I'd never need to wear them again after today.

"Sebastian…" Ciel's mask fractured, and I could see the terror in his eyes. I smirked – it was a delectable sight.

I could hear the gun fall away from his hand, clattering to the floor, and in a second he'd thrown his arms around me, face buried in my neck.

"Kill him," he sobbed. "Kill him and get this over with."

"Yes, my lord," I breathed into his hair, my hand falling to the small of his back.

I didn't have to let do. I didn't even have to move. The sudden heat to our right and terrible shrieks of pain and terror were enough to know that it was done and over.

Neither of us moved for a long while, save for the shaking of Ciel's tiny shoulders with each broken sob.

Finally I stepped back, kneeling before my master, head bowed and a hand placed over a motionless heart.

"My lord," I said. "It is done."

The fire was spreading, consuming the bodies of other fallen occult members and the wooden supports of the warehouse. It would surely collapse on us, soon, but it didn't matter.

He stared at me through a teary blue eye, and reached up to remove his eye patch. The contract seal was glowing dully. "I've come to a terrifying realization over the years," he said softly. "And… I've met so many people. I've come to like many of them." He took a subtle step back, moving slowly as if he was hoping I wouldn't notice. But I always notice. And that was when I came to the realization he was up to something.

"They will all be devastated, and for the longest time I didn't think I would care. But now... Now that I'm standing here, staring my death in the eye, I've realized that I do." Another careful step back as his hand slowly slid toward his coat pocket. "I don't want to die, Sebastian. I'm not ready to leave everything behind." He was crying again. Pathetic. At least he had the good sense to try and hide it. "It was stupid to think this was what I wanted." He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and when he opened them he swiftly yanked a knife from his pocket. Only a millisecond before he gouged out his eye – the eye with the seal that bound us together – I had knocked him to the ground, the knife skittering away into the flames. Gloved fingers curled around his tiny wrists as I loomed over him, growling like some sort of wild animal. I put my face close to his, staring into his eyes, full of rage and fear.

"You're a terribly foolish child," I hissed. "To think you could fool a demon…" I laughed sharply, humorlessly. "Idiotic nonsense. And I thought I'd found myself a soul with worth."

Ciel looked ready to speak, but before he could I caught his opened mouth against mine. It probably looking like a kiss, but it couldn't have been further from the truth.

At first Ciel tried to pull away and fight against me, but he was fading, slowly. With a pained moan his eyes closed, and he went limp. I leaned back slowly, examining his face carefully. His skin was white and paper-thin behind dirt and blood, and when I opened his eyelid a bit to check, his right eyes was the same lovely cerulean it was meant to be.

"What a waste," I murmured, touching my lips lightly. "All that work… I really thought this one would have at least kept from crying like a pathetic child."

I could feel the heat of flames licking at my tailcoat, but made no move to leave. I had no need for this body anymore, and this would be a quick disposal of the unneeded corpse.

I sighed, even as my coat was bursting into flame and my hands were becoming charred. "Farewell, Earl. Farewell, Sebastian."


End file.
